Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Technography, Knowledge Management and Frontier

Author:Bernie DeKoven
Posted:3/1/1999; 9:44:05 AM
Topic:Technography, Knowledge Management and Frontier
Msg #:3403 (In response to 3315)
Prev/Next:3402 / 3404

Thanks, Dave. It really IS difficult to portray the power of dynamic outline as a facilitation tool. And I can certainly understand how whiteboards still appear to be magic for those who haven't experienced technography.

Of late, I've been re-thinking this discussion. Delighted as I am with all the deep thoughts it has evoked, I think perhaps we fell into a few traps of precedent.

Though collaboration on the web is probably one of the most practical and enheartening applications of web technology, it's based on a paradigm that excludes human intervention. Discussion Groups, for example, which are wonderful invitations to community participation, are designed specifically to take place without the intervention of a host, let alone a facilitator. The result is that they become great opportunities for creating and stimulating divergent thinking. And this, in deed, is the first goal of technography, or what I refer to as the COLLECT stage of the C-Cycle (COLLECT, CONNECT, CORRECT).

It's the CONNECT stage, the stage that requires convergence, consensus, that also requires a different technology. One that incorporates a facilitated, moderated, same-time event. We have to get people back on the same page again. I respect and appreciate the kinds of solutions we've tried to come up with so far. But, because they're all based on an asychronous model, they all become too complex, cumbersome, to support effective collaboration.

I invite you to put technography back in the mix. Begin with a discussion group, and all the brilliant and not-so-brilliant divergence therein contained. Now, imagine a technographed session, on-line, where we assemble those thoughts into a coherent whole. We're on a conference call. Using Frontier, of course, and dynamic outlining, somehow. How do you see that happening? What do you imagine the screen to look like? What kinds of tools do you want to give to the technographer? What do the participants see? What can they do besides talk (without getting distracted and losing focus)?

Unless you can think of a better solution.

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